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Happy 17th Birthday "The Infamous", Does this album ever get OLD????

What's up The Reason, I'm back again with another Anniversary Thread. After "Life After Death, The Blueprint, Food and Liquor, STILLmatic and Hard Core" I bring another Hip Hop Classic. 17 years ago On 4/25/95, Mobb Deep followed up their lackluster debut album "Juvenile Hell" with a follow up for all ages. "The Infamous" was released on the heels of Classic New York albums like "36 Chambers, Ready To Die and ILLmatic" and a few others that help spearhead the East Coast Renaissance. The album actually sold very well for a hardcore east coast rap album at the time going Gold in 2 short months which was better than any East coast album during that time outside of "Ready To Die". The album was produced mostly by Havoc and Q-tip but additional production came from Scott Free and Matt Life. With Havoc's haunting production and Prodigy amazing flow and rhyme schemes. "The Infamous" is clearly one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

17 Years later I can play this album straight through. It's crazy cause I just turned 15 years old when this dropped. With the recent Mobb Deep Drama you can't help but look back and realize they are clearly one of the greatest rap duo's of all time. This album can go toe to toe with almost any Classic in Hip Hop History. "Shook Ones Pt. II" and "Survival of the Fittest" are anthems for anyone who grew up on 90's Hip Hop. Posse cuts like "Eye for an Eye" and "Right Back At You" were so ILL you had to push rewind. There was even some good storytelling on tracks like "Temperature's Rising" and before NaS was a gun on "I gave you power", Prodigy used alcohol as a unique metaphor on "Drink away the pain". The interludes were dope too. There isn't a single weak song on the album. I couldn't find one. So props to Hav and P for dropping this Masterpiece.

"Shook Ones P.II" is a Hip Hop Masterpiece. The Beat alone is one of the greatest produced beats EVER. This song is so Classic many Hip Hop Fans never heard or even know about the original. After years of speculation Havoc finally revealed the song was sampled from Herbie Hancock.

The start of 3 straight classics from the GOAT Duo (IMO).
Good drop, the Infamous should be in every Top 10 NY Albums list.

I personally think this album >> IWW & Reasonable Doubt.

I agree that i'd put "Infamous" over "I.W.W.", it's neck and neck with "RD" but I wouldn't be mad at someone who said it was better. It's just one of those albums. I think "Hell On Earth" and "Murda Muzik" are superb LP's but I can't put either over "The Infamous".

I use to bump this before all my football games in High School to get hyped.

Jay Z dont have anything in his catalog bigger than Shook Ones, neither does Biggie or Nas
Prodigy is the GOAT homo or not. Havoc is only 2nd to RZA in terms of being GOAT Producer
The Infamous>Illmatic, RD, RTD. When I think of NY I think of Mobb Deep before anybody else
and the Infamous cant even fuck with Hell On Earth or HNIC. Mobb Deep was way ahead of the times with this album

The start of 3 straight classics from the GOAT Duo (IMO).
Good drop, the Infamous should be in every Top 10 NY Albums list.

I personally think this album >> IWW & Reasonable Doubt.

I agree that i'd put "Infamous" over "I.W.W.", it's neck and neck with "RD" but I wouldn't be mad at someone who said it was better. It's just one of those albums. I think "Hell On Earth" and "Murda Muzik" are superb LP's but I can't put either over "The Infamous".

I use to bump this before all my football games in High School to get hyped.

Yes, Survival of the Fittest is my favorite track on that album.

Don't even get my started on Murda Muzik.
I'd end up makin this a Mobb Deep appreciation thread, lol ..

I can recall the days, juvenile crime pays
14 years old, shorty from round way
brick ass cold, still pump from night to day
but why did my life have to be this way
I rock Velour suits, flavors like mixed fruits
my loot get recouped razors in my suit
incase they try to troop me to the island
I known to start whylin back in New York, my soldiers got the cash pilin
peep this on some nose and teef shit
so much drama, who the fuck knows who we got beef wit

2nd best album to drop in the 90' behind OB4CL...
the only track I skipped on this album was "Cradle 2 the grave", other than that these two midgets dropped a grimy, NY classic followed by two more.
smh @ Infamy being their downfall

This is the folly of the internet. Its become a bastion of misinformation, rumors, conspiracies and propaganda. A place where a person with no face or name can make accusations at any time with no verification or credentials and brainwash a small segment of people.

And that Complex article is a good read too. I woulda never thought Biggie wanted Temperature's Rising to be a single.

It's crazy that Matty C who introduced Puff to Big was the executive producer of "The Infamous", he was also responsible for doing Big's unsigned hype article. Anyways, that's cool Big like "Temperature's Rising" cause it's easily one of my fav's off the album. The storytellin was dope. I also loved the fact that they admitted "The Infamous" did influence Cuban Linx and that the recording of "Eye for an Eye" lead to "Verbal Intercourse". Mind you this album had Rae on 2 tracks and Ghost too. Both articles were great, Complex did a good job. Amazing album. When you think about it Mobb is more underrated than anything. This is why my generation holds on to these albums. Will any of you guys from this generation be able to go back 17 years and play the stuff now straight through like "The Infamous"?, doubtful.

nobody but NY niggas give a fuck about this album or all the lil trivia you niggas is spoutin out

The album went GOLD In 2 months with no real mainstream single and is a certified Hip Hop Classic and at this point 17 years later it's far loved beyond NY's borders. Mobb Deep brought the mainstream to them, one of the few groups ever to keep it grimey and still manage to move pretty good units. Just cause you sleepin on it don't mean the rest of Hip Hop and the world did:

Accolades

About.com United States 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums 2008 74
Best Rap Albums of 1995 2008 4
Blender 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die 2003
The Source The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time 1998
Vibe 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement 2004
Hip Hop Connection United Kingdom The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005 2005 4
Melody Maker Albums of the Year 1995 28
Pop Sweden Albums of the Year 1995 11
OOR Netherlands Albums of the Year 1995 43
Spex Germany Albums of the Year 1995 13

Nas, Jay Z or Biggie were not spittin nowhere near the level of Prodigy at the time this album dropped. This album is more lyrical than illmatic. Instead of copying Rakim like Nas did for Illmatic Prodigy just introduced a whole new flow. Non rhyming words, sinister, grimy yet educated and polished. His stories are more detailed than the ones on RD,Ill,RTD. His vocab is more extensive than Nas on Illmatic. He has more flows than Biggie on RTD and the production and rap harmonies are a million times more memorable than anysong on RD. I aint even about to act like I knew Mobb Deep since JH. The Infamous the first time I heard them niggas but soon as I heard Prodigy rip that album he been my top 5 GOAT. He had me at first listen. Illmatic didnt do it. Neither did RTD. dont even mention RD. Infamous is signature NY hip hop. Like I said Hell On Earth is 100 times better than this album what that tell you about Mobb Deep. Put Nas, Jay Z and Biggie first 3 albums up against Infamous, Hell On Earth and Murda Muzik and its NO CONTEST. MOBB DEEP ALL FUCKIN DAY>>>>>>>>>>>>

nobody but NY niggas give a fuck about this album or all the lil trivia you niggas is spoutin out

The album went GOLD In 2 months with no real mainstream single and is a certified Hip Hop Classic and at this point 17 years later it's far loved beyond NY's borders. Mobb Deep brought the mainstream to them, one of the few groups ever to keep it grimey and still manage to move pretty good units. Just cause you sleepin on it don't mean the rest of Hip Hop and the world did:

Accolades

About.com United States 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums 2008 74
Best Rap Albums of 1995 2008 4
Blender 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die 2003
The Source The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time 1998
Vibe 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement 2004
Hip Hop Connection United Kingdom The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005 2005 4
Melody Maker Albums of the Year 1995 28
Pop Sweden Albums of the Year 1995 11
OOR Netherlands Albums of the Year 1995 43
Spex Germany Albums of the Year 1995 13

certified hip hop classic TO SOME NY NIGGAS
this is a regional classic just like most of the so-called "classic" albums

Tromp, "The Infamous" is Legendary, but let's not really bring in "Ready To Die, Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt" you know what those 3 emcee's status are so naturally their debut albums will have the clout. "The Infamous" can be mentioned with them and that's all that matters cause after their average debut they could of been ran out of hip hop but they followed up with a masterpiece. And "Hell on Earth" is great but it's not 100 times better than "The Infamous", Hav was more on his Rza ish on that album where this album he established his sound.

Tromp, "The Infamous" is Legendary, but let's not really bring in "Ready To Die, Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt" you know what those 3 emcee's status are so naturally their debut albums will have the clout. "The Infamous" can be mentioned with them and that's all that matters cause after their average debut they could of been ran out of hip hop but they followed up with a masterpiece. And "Hell on Earth" is great but it's not 100 times better than "The Infamous", Hav was more on his Rza ish on that album where this album he established his sound.

im bringing those albums up because they are overhyped and cannot touch the impact of Infamous. Infamous and OB4CL had progressive NY sound and concepts to it. Illmatic is boring. Nothing but sappy jazz loops and Nas trying to sound like Rakim. that album had no impact until the blog era. same thing with boring ass reasonable doubt. If Jay Z wouldnt had referenced it in his crying after ether 99% of Jay Z fans wouldnt even known it existed. RD aint nowhere near coheisve as the Infamous. And then Ready To Die is nothing but a rip off Redman/Strictly4MyZaggin album. Everytime I hear ready to die Images of Dare Iz A Darkside pops up in my head. Then again Craig Mack was cool with Hit Squad and Das EFX at the time so when he was writing Ready To Die i can see his influence from his friends. None of them niggas was flowing harder than prodigy nor exhibited a new style like P did. And Im not gonna over look Hav because he ripped the album also. 2 Ill coldhearted no future little niggas gave NY that credibility back. No other NY gangster tales I cared for until I start hearing Mobb Deep spit that dark NY rap to make me interested. Infamous is leagues ahead of them fake "hedz" albums. Illmatic sounds dated and does not hit in the car. How the fuck somebody gonna ride around listening to them sleepy ass jazz samples. Illmatic is boring. Not even in Nas top 3 albums. RD is boring as fuck. and RTD is a below average albums compared to 1994 standards.